Nobody Said It Was Easy
by EighthHorcrux
Summary: Draco has never felt so alone, but after he confides in Hermione, he swears to do no harm. After unexpected feelings arise, their relationship is soon ripped apart. After Hermione is kidnapped by Snatchers and taken to Malfoy Manor, Draco is allocated the interrogation task. But with the War continuing, will he still be able to keep his promise? Will the feelings ever return?
1. Prologue

**Author's Notes: I've finally decided to write a longer Dramione Fanfic. It's based during the Deathly Hallows, though has some flashbacks from previous years. It's following the vague plot of the books (destroying Voldemort, the War ect) but most of the parts have been edited. I'll try to update every week or so, I'm honestly lazy as anything!**

With a yawn and a stretch, Hermione unzipped the tent, squinting at the sudden change in light.

She popped her head out of the entrance, inhaling the fresh air, before peering back into the tent at the two sleeping boys.

Ron was sprawled across his bed (and half of Hermione's also), somewhat resembling a starfish. Harry on the other hand was curled up in a ball, only his wild black hair visible from the duvet he was entangled within.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the sight. Typical boys. She crept back to her bed, perching on the edge. Grabbing Ron's arm, she shook him gently in order to attempt to wake him up from his tranquil state. She was granted with no such mercy as she sighed in defeat, shaking him a lot more roughly. Ron opened one eye, before sitting up in his bed and stretching and almost hitting Hermione straight in the face.

She let out a quick squeak as she dived out of the way of his fist, apparently alerting Ron of her presence. His eyes widened as he pulled his duvet over his bare chest.

"Bloody Hell 'Mione!" he grumbled, flushing a deep shade of scarlet.

Hermione shook her head, trying to hide her smirk. "Good Morning to you too, Ronald!" she replied curtly as Ron attempted to tame his wild ginger hair which was currently sticking up at all angles.

Her eyes quickly darted to his healing arm. Memories flashing back to the events in the Ministry of Magic, she shuddered. "How's your arm?" she asked, glancing down at the locket hanging upon her neck.

Ron shrugged. "Not bad, I've been better," he admitted with a slight blush. She smiled in response, running her fingers over the wound.

"I must admit," she began, though stopped to chuckle. "Mrs. Cattermole's face yesterday when the Polyjuice Potion wore off, oh Merlin, what a sight!" Ron wrinkled his nose up as Hermione leant backwards, laughter erupting from her. Realising she wasn't going to stop anytime soon, Ron sighed loudly.

"Oh come on, it wasn't that funny!" he protested. Hermione raised an eyebrow, trying to keep her facial expression as neutral as possible.

Stifling a giggle, Hermione brought her attention back to Harry who was snoring lightly. She clambered to her feet, creeping over in the direction of the raven-haired boy, before swiftly pulling the duvet off his bed and onto the floor. Unluckily for him, he was tangled within the material, and Hermione's actions caused him to plummet straight towards the ground too.

Harry grabbed his glasses which were resting on top of his bag, his hair in a similar state to Ron's. After clambering back into his bed and putting his glasses on, his vision adjusted and he cursed under his breath as he spotted Hermione trying her very hardest not to burst into laughter. Twigging on to the fact that she was the one who woke him, he groaned, placing a hand on his forehead as he fell back into his pillow.

"Good Morning Harry!" Hermione grinned, as Harry responded with a grunt. Shrugging, she tied up the laces to her shoes, before fumbling around in her bag for a packet of Bertie Bott's All Flavoured Beans. She clamped her fingers on the box, before taking it out of the bag and opening it with a small rip. Delving her hand into the packet, she popped a light green coloured bean into her mouth. After a couple of bites, her entire face wrinkled in dissatisfaction, as she swallowed, much to her blatant discomfort.

"Eurgh!" she exclaimed loudly, as the boys looked at her in both confusion and amusement. "That tasted like cardboard!"

Harry tried to prevent the grin tugging at his lips. "How would you know what cardboard tastes like, 'Mione?" he asked, fluttering his eyelashes as she scowled in response.

She offered the packet of Beans to Ron, who took it gratefully. "Oh be quiet Harry!" she retorted.

"Do 'ya want me to wear the locket while you do the enchantments?" Harry offered, his eyes trailing to the Horcrux which the Trio had obtained in the Ministry of Magic yesterday.

Hermione unclasped the locket, quickly brushing it on her trousers before handing it to Harry. "Thanks," she smiled gratefully, before making her way to her feet. "I won't be a second, please try _not _to set the tent on fire?" Ron rolled his eyes, while playing with his Deluminator.

"Can't make any promises I'm afraid!" he laughed, pressing the button which caused the lanterns to burn out.

"Boys," she cursed under her breath, clambering out of the tent. Zipping up her jacket, she made her way forwards to the spot where she'd previously placed the enchantments to prevent their hiding place to have been detected. Hermione grabbed her wand from her inside pocket, raising it before she began to mutter various spells under her breath.

There was an audible rustling from a few feet away as she stopped abruptly. "No!" she gasped, balling up her fists. She placed her wand back into her pocket, begging that the few enchantments she'd done were good enough to hide her from any intruders. Her suspicions were confirmed as a group of Snatchers, accompanied by Werewolf Fenrir Greyback made their way across the forest.

Sucking in a breath, Hermione's head pounded as the group became dangerously close, their voices becoming more audible as they continued to walk in the direction of the incomplete enchantments.

"I don't see why we have to search in this stupid forest anyway, what would Muggles want to hang around in the middle of a forest in winter for?" one of the Snatchers moaned, as Scabior, their leader, socked him across the head.

"Shut up! You never know, if we find anything linked to Potter, or Potter himself, who knows what the Dark Lord will reward us with?" Scabior hissed in response.

Hermione's breath hitched as Scabior was so close, she could smell his stench.

"Oh come on, there's nothing here!" Fenrir snarled, though was silenced as Scabior brought a finger to his lips.

His nose wrinkled as Hermione swallowed. Although the voices of the group were distorted due to the wall of enchantments, she could still hear what they were saying. "Can you smell that?" he took another step towards Hermione, as she screwed her eyes shut. "_No, no, no, no!" _she thought to herself. One more step, and he'd have walked straight into their territory.

She had to do something; they were going to be rumbled. Hermione glanced frantically in the direction of the tent, thankful that Ron and Harry were safely inside. Harry had the Horcrux, surely they could destroy the rest without her?

Scabior was so close that she could feel his breath tickling her cheeks, causing the hairs on her neck to stand up and goose bumps to form on her arms.

Her body acting before her mind, she took a step forwards, exposing herself from the enchantments completely and narrowly avoiding stamping directly upon Scabior's toes. Her eyesight darted to the ground as she felt a Snatcher snake his arms around her shoulders. It was as if she'd forgotten how to breathe.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here! Hello Beautiful!" Scabior laughed, his smile bloodthirsty as Hermione attempted to find a spot to look at. Failing completely, she exhaled, glaring straight into his eyes. "And what do they call you, my lovely?"

"P-Penelope Clearwater," she stammered, attempting to regain her composure. He took some kind of notepad from his pocket, scanning it for her name with his finger. Clearly spotting it, he placed the tattered book back into his pocket in defeat. He was about to turn away, when his fingers clamped on a sheet of folded paper also in his breast pocket.

A smirk crawling upon his face, he took it out, unfolding it revealing an image of Harry, Ron and Herself. Fenrir began giggling to himself in glee as Scabior held up the photo to Hermione's face, comparing the image to reality.

"I don't think you've been telling us the truth! I think you're Hermione Granger, the Mudblood travelling with Weasley and Potter," he snarled, turning to the rest of the Snatchers. "We're not taking this one to the ministry, we're taking her to the Dark Lord."

With a sharp yank of her mousy brown lochs, a scream ripped from Hermione's throat as the Snatchers took her away, binding her arms and legs preventing her movement.

What if Harry and Ron didn't notice she was missing? What if they didn't know where to look? Scrap that, what if they took their eyes of the task and risked their lives looking for her? Surely Voldemort was a lot more important?

Thoughts ran through her mind as she racked her brains, internally writing a list of some of the confirmed Death Eaters.

Bellatrix Lestrange, Yaxley, Petter Pettigrew, Crabbe and Goyle Senior, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. And their son, Draco. _Draco._

She remembered the time in her 6th year at Hogwarts. She'd just left a Prefect Meeting and had heard loud sobbing coming from one of the bathrooms. Being the curious Gryffindor she was, she went to go and investigate, and was shocked to spot Draco keeled over a sink, sobs forcing their way out of his throat.

_Heavy sobbing broke Hermione away from her trance, as she turned to her left to discover the source of the noise. She felt my throat instantly clench up and her heart shatter before her as Draco leaned upon one of the nearest sinks, attempting to undo his shirt buttons, while in the process of sobbing loudly. She gasped, taking a couple of steps instinctively into the room, as Moaning Myrtle finished her protest, before Draco suddenly stopped trembling, probably discovering someone else's presence in the room._

_"Draco?" Hermione whispered whispered, as he suddenly jumped, glaring into the mirror and seeing Hermione's reflection. He gasped loudly, hacking at his eyes with his shirt sleeve as he turned around to face her._

_"What do you want Grang-Hermione?" He attempted to snarl, though his voice was blatantly breaking up as he spoke. Wait, where were the insults? she thought to herself._

_"D-Draco, what's wrong?" she gulped, tears sliding down her face as Draco lifted his weight from the sink._

_"Why should I tell you? Why would you care?" His voice dripping with emotion and defeat as it looked as if he'd break down on the spot while he gnawed his lip._

_"You can trust me Draco." Hermione said strongly after a deep intake of breath, as he brought his red raw rubbed eyes level to hers._

_"I-I can't fail him. You don't understand. He'll kill me!" He sobbed, taking a gracious step towards her as he began to sob loudly again. Hermione couldn't help but feel awful for him as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I was chosen!" He cried, resting his head on her shoulder as she took a sharp breath._

_"Draco," she was perfectly aware that she was fairly close to breaking down also. "We can help you. There's Harry, and D-Dumbledore -" she began, as Draco lifted his head sharply._

_"You don't understand Hermione, he gave me orders, a mission." He sighed, his tears trickling down Hermione's shirt as she wrapped my arms around him._

_"Draco, I'm sorry, we'll get through th -" He suddenly cut her off as his eyes locked with his grey orbs. Without warning, he began to lean forwards, the gap between the two decreasing by the second with his eyes not once faltering from Hermione's deep chocolate eyes._

_"I care about you Hermione, I can't risk you getting hurt for me," He whispered huskily as the distance between their faces was reduced to millimetres._

_"We'll get through this Draco, I'll stand by you no matter what." Hermione swore sacredly, all bad encounters in the past between the pair completely forgotton and demolished as the newly matured Draco burned through. He grinned a weak grin, finally closing the gap between their faces as his soft lips captured Hermione's._

She couldn't prevent the small grin tugging at her lips despite the physical pain dulling through her body. Although she hadn't seen him since the episode in the bathroom, the memories still burned fresh in her mind.

She'd never seen him so broken, so alone. When Harry revealed to her and Ron what had happened on the tower, she felt a flicker of hope when she discovered that it was in fact Snape and not Draco who had killed Dumbledore. He'd apparently lowered his wand in the process, keeping his promise.

The last thing she saw was Draco's face flash before her eyes, the smile still embedded into her features as before darkness overcame her.


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: Hello everyone, here's Chapter One. Huge thanks to everyone who's added Nobody Said It Was Easy to their favourites/alerts list, it means a lot. Apologies in the slow update, hopefully the content will make up for it. Thank you for reading, a review would mean the world! :) x**

Draco tossed and turned in his bed, his face paling as his heart pounded against his ribcage.

_"Draco," Voldemort hissed, dragging out the 'o'. "Draco, you have failed me. You're pathetic." Draco's eyes bulged as he spotted the huge snake behind the Dark Lord, yet attempted to cover it up with a smirk he'd used far too often. "Think this is funny, do you?"_

_Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's mother, was held within the grasp of her own sister, Bellatrix Lestrange. Draco's father, Lucius Malfoy, was laying motionless on the ground of Malfoy Manor, dead._

_"Draco!" His mother begged, tears flooding in her silvery eyes which were identical to those of her sons. Voldemort turned to face her, shaking his head._

_"Your son has failed me, Narcissa," he said. "He was unable to complete the task set before him, therefore he must be killed."_

_"No!" Narcissa exclaimed, breaking out of Bellatrix's tight grasp, and pouncing towards her son._

_She was just tedious centimetres away when Voldemort muttered, "Avada Kedavra."_

_And his mother dropped down dead beside his father. Draco felt as if all the air had been knocked out of his lungs. It was then that Voldemort turned to him, a look of glee etched into his features as he lifted his hand towards the Malfoy boy._

_"Nagini, kill."_

The Malfoy boy awoke with a start, sweat trickling down his forehead. Someone was hammering hard on his door. Draco had managed to curse it with several curses which he'd learned in both Transfiguration and Defence Against the Dark Arts classes, which allowed the door to stay standing, even when the worst of curses were thrown at it.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, open this door immediately, I _know_ you're in there!" His mother shrieked after stopping her knocking for a split second. Draco sighed. There was no getting out of this one.

He slid out from the warmth of his duvet, placing his feet onto the cold tiled floor below. Dragging a hand through his platinum blonde hair, he made his way to the door, muttering the counter curse under his breath.

The bedroom door soon flung open, revealing a furious Narcissa. Though as soon as she registered Draco's tearstained face, her facial features softened, and she placed a hand of comfort on her son's shoulder. "Nightmares?" She asked.

He could reply with nothing but a nod. His mother was the only one who knew about his recent nightmares following Dumbledore's death. After taking part in his first task for the Dark Lord, and witnessing the death of Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, he'd been racked with nothing but guilt. It was supposed to be his task, yet it was Snape who ended up doing the deed. A man Draco owed his life to. Draco had confided in his mother as he knew how weak he'd appear to his father, who he hated to admit he was completely petrified of.

"They're just dreams, Draco," his mother enveloped him in a tight embrace, wrapping her arms around the trembling boy who was now a similar height to her. "It's okay, shh."

Draco sniffed. "I'm s-sorry, they just s-seem so r-real… you d-died," he spluttered, hardly able to form a sentence.

His mother was about to reply when Lucius quite literally bombarded towards the pair. His breathing was staggered, and it became apparent that he'd been searching for them for quite a while.

"Bella's got that Mudblood girl, the one who travels with Potter, found her in the forest," he wheezed. He took another deep breath before continuing. "She's downstairs," he turned to Draco. "Aunt Bella needs your help with the interrogation, it will be great experience for the future, it will give you more recognition from Voldemort, Draco."

Draco nodded a single nod in response as he broke away from his mother. His father was clearly lost in his glory to notice Draco's red eyes or his wet cheeks. After he disappeared as quickly as he'd arrived, he turned towards his mother.

"It's okay Draco," she said soothingly. "Just do as Bellatrix says, and you won't get hurt,"

The pair made their way down the spiral staircase towards the dining room. Draco shuddered at the sound of his Aunt shrieking, and her voice got louder as the pair got closer to the bottom.

"THAT'S MINE, WHERE DID YOU FIND IT?" Bellatrix yelled. She was answered with silence, as Draco and Narcissa lingered outside the wooden doors which lead to the dining room. After a nod of encouragement from his mother, Draco pushed the doors open, and they both made their way inside.

Lucius beckoned Narcissa towards him, and she reluctantly agreed, planting one last kiss on her son's head before walking towards her husband.

Draco's stomach dropped at the sight before him. Hermione Granger was crumpled on the floor of the Manor, Bellatrix standing above her with a look of lust etched into her features. Hermione was looking in Draco's direction, yet her eyes stared without seeing.

Desperation was evident, and Draco found himself feeling more and more out of place as Bellatrix began to walk around Hermione once more.

"I said," Bellatrix snarled. "Where did you find this sword?" She kicked Hermione in the rib as she said the word 'sword', and Hermione let out a small whimper in response, clearly trying to keep a strong image.

"I d-don't know," Draco was hardly able to establish Hermione's voice, which was dripping with fear. "I f-found it, I found it i-in the forest."

"YOU'RE LYING!" Bellatrix shrieked, making Draco flinch slightly at her sudden raise in volume. "TELL ME THE TRUTH!"

"I found it," Hermione repeated, her voice still sounding dry with fear and exhaustion.

Draco continued to witness the scene before him as Bellatrix resulted to violence after getting no more information from the girl.

Lucius was stood behind the scene, smirking slightly. Draco was aware of his admiration of the Blood Status legend, and his blatant hatred of Half-bloods and Mudbloods. Draco's blood ran cold at the word.

_"No one asked your opinion, you filthy Mudblood," I spat, trying to make the hatred evident in my voice, yet the sneer didn't quite reach my eyes._

_Flint dived in front of me as the Weasley twins pounced at me, trying to take me down. I smirked in response, as Alicia shrieked, "How dare you!"_

_Ron took his wand from his pocket, and attempted to prod it in my face under Flint's arm, yelling, "You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!"_

_"Oh yeah?" I smirked with amusement. Ron's face was a similar shade to his hair as Harry tried to hold him back. My eyesight wandered towards Hermione, and the smirk quickly slipped from my face as she looked close to tears._

A piercing scream dragged Draco back into reality, and he struggled to stop himself from shooting a curse straight at his Aunt Bellatrix. She was crouched over Hermione, though she had her back to him so it wasn't clear to Draco what she was doing to the poor girl.

Hermione continued to scream blood-curdling screams, kicking her legs wildly in response, though her screams were met with manic cackles from Bellatrix.

"TELL ME!" Bellatrix tried to integrate Hermione once more. "WHERE. DID. YOU. FIND. THAT. SWORD?"

Hermione's screams died down, yet she continued to sob loudly. "I don't know!" she cried, her voice breaking.

Bellatrix scrambled to her feet, smirking at the sight before her. "DRACO!" she yelled, beckoning her nephew to stand next to her.

Draco's eyes bulged, and his mother, who he hadn't even notice had approached, placed a hand on his shoulder.

He struggled to walk in a straight line, his legs feeling somewhat like jelly. "Hurry up, we don't have all day!" she snarled. Draco swallowed the lump which had formed in his throat, and stood next to his aunt, peering down at the girl sprawled out of the floor below, who had been tortured into unconsciousness.

"Aunt Bella," he bowed his head slightly, trying to prevent his voice from shaking.

She smirked, detecting his fear. "Make yourself useful," she returned her bloodstained knife back to her pocket without cleaning it. "Take Mudblood to the dungeons, get all the information she's awake. Don't kill her yet, she'll lead us to Potter."

It was then that he spotted her arm, and the word 'Mudblood' carved into it. Draco felt sick to the stomach at his Aunts damage, though still nodded to indicate that he understood her instructions. "Good," Bellatrix replied, before turning on her heel and making her way towards Lucius and Narcissa. He spotted Fenrir Greyback, holding a sword, and a couple of Snatchers he didn't know by name, but he knew by face.

Draco placed his arms underneath Hermione, trying his hardest to support her as her head lolled around. He looked up, his eyesight clashing with his mothers. She gave him a single nod, which he returned, before making his way towards the dungeon.

"Alohomora," he muttered, quite thankful that he was unable to do wandless magic. The gate leading to the dungeon steps flung open, and he made his way down, making sure not to bash Hermione's head against the narrow walls.

He muttered the curse to unlock the other door, which was a lot more complex than the first, allowing the metal to bash against the stone wall.

Making his way into the dungeon, Draco wrinkled his nose at the smell of his surroundings. It wasn't very often he came down here, and he wasn't used to the musky smell.

He crouched down, placing Hermione onto the stone floor with as little impact as he could muster. She was dangerously pale, her skin almost translucent.

He began to brush his fingers through her hair, and the corners of his mouth twitched as he remembered how bushy it was when he first met her. Since she'd grown, her hair became a lot more sleek. Her lochs were knotted with dried up blood, and he winced each time his fingers got caught, cursing quietly to himself.

Draco felt his eyes begin to water, yet he blinked his tears away desperately. He removed his hand from Hermione's hair, and scrambled to his feet, about to leave the room.

"Draco?" she whispered, her voice weak.

Draco gasped at the sound of her voice, and crouched down so he was closer to Hermione. "It's okay, Hermione, I'll get you out of here," He promised.

She smiled weakly as she slipped out of consciousness. Draco cast a quick Agumenti spell, filling a goblet with water. He rubbed a little in her wound, causing her to whimper slightly in her sleep. He felt sick to the stomach seeing her in such agony. No one deserves to go through such torture, even a Muggle-born.

Crouching down so he was just tantalizingly close to Hermione, Draco felt her weak yet existent heartbeat against her neck.

And without thinking, he left a lingering kiss on her cold lips. He pulled away just as quickly, feeling somewhat guilty of his actions.

It was then that he swore that he'd save Hermione Granger from this hell, no matter what it takes.


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: Here's Chapter Two, I hope you like it. Ron and Harry will appear in the next few chapters, I'm just trying to have more Dramione moments, woo!**

The dungeon was dim, and had a very dark tone to it, but it fit the situation. The sound of panting and faint chocking filled the air, as well as hesitant footsteps.

Draco approached the pale girl slumped against the wall, arms sprawled and bent oddly. Her mouth seemed to hang open as she struggled to breath.

His eyes went wide as he approached Hermione, kneeling down and putting his hand over the wound on her head. Hermione gazed at Malfoy boy in confusion with his touch, though had long heard him come into the room.

"M-Malfoy?…" she whispered, taking in a sharp breath.

"…Granger…"

"H-…Hermione…" she corrected, her expression was that of pain and pure fear, for she feared she was going to die.

Taking the goblet he filled with water yesterday, he rubbed a little more water onto her gaping wound, earning himself another whimper and a small groan in response.

Draco had seen it all before his very eyes, Bellatrix continuously torturing the girl until she had no more to give. Guilt wracked him. He felt as if he could have saved her.

"M-Malfoy? Draco's grey eyes met the chocolate brown ones that had not yet torn themselves away from his face. "I d-don't want to die M-Malfoy, it hurts, it h-hurts." Her contorted into an expression of despair and agony which made Draco's insides churn.

He took Hermione's hand and intertwined it with his own. "You won't die Gra-Hermione," he corrected himself, giving her hand a comforting squeeze. "I'll make sure of it."

Hermione couldn't help but detect the sincerity in his voice. But it left her confused. Why was Draco being so nice to her? She gave a single nod in response, though almost instantly regretted the sudden movement as she groaned in pain, bringing her free hand to her forehead. "It's okay, shh," Draco tried to comfort her, rubbing circles on her back.

"Why M-Malfoy?" Hermione asked finally, after her sobbing died down. "Why are you doing this, you hate me, don't you?"

Draco slid his hand out from Hermione's, placing it under her chin to force her to face him. He tried to find the right words to say, it was just so odd . He felt such deep sadness inside, never wanting to see this happen to anybody, even Hermione. "Because I care about you," he whispered after what seemed like minutes, but in reality was a few seconds.

"I'm scared…I'm s-s-so scared…-I don't…want…to die." She stammered. She reached up and clutched Draco's jacket, accidentally pulling him closer. The tears glistened on her cheeks as she began to sob into Draco's shoulder.

Draco held her instinctively, wrapping his arms around the trembling girl. "You won't die, Hermione, I won't allow it." He stated, truth laced within his words which Hermione picked up on. She forced a thankful smile which didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Thank you," she whispered, hardly able to hear her own voice. Draco nodded in response, dropping his arms to his sides. He shivered slightly, almost feeling disappointed that he had to let go.

"I'm sorry," Draco muttered, after a few tense seconds had passed. "Aunt Bella, I would have stopped her, I wish I could have stopped her, she's ruthless."

"I know, Draco," Hermione responded as a ghost of a smile lingered on her lips. "It's okay, I'm a Mudblood, I deserve it."

Draco gasped. He'd never heard Hermione insult herself in such a way. He made his way to his feet, shaking his head. "You don't deserve it, Hermione, no one deserves it, whatever kind of family they were born into."

Nodding in response, Hermione resorted to leaning back against the wall, exhausted. "DRACO!" Hermione would recognise the voice of Lucius Malfoy a mile away. Ever since the confrontation in Flourish and Blotts where she'd attempted to defend Harry, and the Battle of the Department of Mysteries which had resulted in Sirius' death, she'd always slightly feared the voice.

"DRACO!" the voice called again. Draco exhaled through his nose, dragging a hand through his hair. He handed the goblet half full of water to the trembling girl, and Hermione took it gratefully. Their skin made slight contact, and Draco covered up his blush with a coughing fit.

"I'll see you later," he muttered, flustered. "I-I'm sorry Hermione." He was out of the dungeon and already bolting up the stairs before Hermione could reply.

She sighed, peering upwards at the dingy ceiling which dripped every few seconds. She began to count the drops, yet lost count when she got over fifty. Why hadn't Harry and Ron come to save her? Do they even notice she's missing?

Hermione couldn't help but feel thankful to Draco. He'd been the only one who had been there for her recently, even though he'd wanted to tear her guts out while the pair were at Hogwarts. She was somewhat confused by his sudden kindness, yet her suspicions were pushed to the back of her mind as she brought the goblet to her cracked lips, and took a large sip of the glistening liquid inside.

The gate leading to the dungeon closed with a slam, which echoed all the way down the stairs. Draco fumbled with his jacket as he followed the voices of his mother, and father to the dining room. The three were sat at the long table, and Draco awkwardly took a seat opposite his father.

"Nice of you to join us, Son!" Lucius exclaimed. "What on earth were you doing down there? Wormtail thinks you were getting friendly with the Mudblood girl." Draco blushed as his father continued. "Where do I even start with the curses I gave him? I mean imagine that, a Pure-blood and a Mudblood. It makes me retch just thinking of it."

"Leave it, Lucius," Narcissa sighed, placing a hand on her Husband's shoulder. Lucius rolled his eyes, yet stayed quiet. Bellatrix soon tore into the room, taking a seat next to Draco, and placing an arm around him.

"What did she tell you?" She asked, smirking. "Where's Potter?" she spat his name as if it were vermin.

Draco shuddered. "She doesn't know, says she was out by herself, she got lost in Hogsmeade…" he trailed off, the lies tumbling from the tip of his tongue. Bellatrix scoffed.

"Lies! A bunch of Lies! Snape's the head, and he says she hasn't shown up at Hogwarts since last year. She's with Potter and I _know _it," she drummed her abnormally long fingernails on the top of the table, making Narcissa wince. "The three of them were spotted in the Ministry of Magic last week! Perhaps if _I_ had another little talk, girl to girl, I may be able to loosen her tongue a little."

"No!" Draco yelled, almost too quickly. He coughed awkwardly. "I mean, she was close to breaking down, I think I can get it out of her." He stated. Bellatrix nodded, slapping Draco on the shoulder. He suddenly remembered the sword Bellatrix was interrogating Hermione about. "What was that sword she had with her?"

Bellatrix got to her feat, and lead Draco out of the dining room, and into one of the lounging rooms. She opened a drawer which revealed some of Hermione's belongings. He recognised her wand as she had threatened him far too many times with it. "This sword," she said, taking a large silver sword out of the drawer. "She had it in this enchanted bag, made to look smaller that it actually is. It's meant to be in my vault, she must have broken in."

Draco nodded, spotting a silver bottle. "What's this?" He asked, taking the bottle out of the drawer. Bellatrix took a look at it, before putting the sword back into the drawer.

"It's Essence of Dittany. It's use makes fresh skin grow over a wound. half empty, which makes me think that after they were spotted at the Ministry, one of them got hurt. She's had contact with them, we just need her to tell us where they are, either one of them, Weasley or Potter. If we get Weasley, Potter will never take it all by himself. You never know, they might come for Mudblood soon." Bellatrix began to stroll around the room as she continued talking about how she claims Hermione knows the whereabouts of Harry and Ron. While she wasn't looking, he took the bottle of Dittany and slid it into his pocket. He also took her wand and put it up his sleeve. "… and when we take Potter to The Dark Lord, we'll be remembered as legends." Bellatrix finished, closing the drawer quickly and almost trapping Draco's fingers.

She locked it with a curse which she mumbled under her breath, before quite literally bundling Draco out of the room. "Now," she said, placing a hand on either one of Draco's shoulders. "Go and see Mudblood again, take her some stale bread, get her to spill the beans."

"Yes Aunt Bella," Draco said in response. Bellatrix slapped his shoulder once more, before returning to the dining room with Draco's parents.

Draco sighed, sliding Hermione's wand into his inside pocket. He would be in so much trouble if he got caught, why was he even helping Granger anyway?

He made his way to the kitchen, deep in thought. He'd never dreamed of becoming a Death Eater, yet he had no choice. His parents had made all of the choices for him, and he was dropped into it without permission. He knew he wouldn't be able to kill Dumbledore himself, and couldn't be more thankful to Snape who ended up doing the deed for him.

Spotting the basket of bread before him, Draco took two bread rolls without being detected by anyone in the room. He also took another goblet, and filled it with pumpkin juice. "Hello Mister Malfoy, can I assist you?" A woman he knew by face but not by name asked, bowing her head slightly.

Draco shook his head, taking the goblet in one hand, and the rolls in the other. "I'll be fine, thanks, have a good day!" he responded with a grin. To say the woman looked shocked was a complete understatement, she'd never been treated with such respect by a Malfoy. He left the kitchen, almost jogging to the dungeon door in order not to be caught. He was just about to mumble the unlocking charm before he felt a hand on his shoulder, causing him to almost drop the goblet due to the suddenness. Draco turned to find Wormtail lingering behind him.

"What do you want?" he hissed.

"Gi'zza roll, I'm starving!" He whined. Draco rolled his eyes, before handing Wormtail one of the squashed rolls. He took it greedily, stuffing the entire thing into his mouth at once. "Where are you taking that?" he asked, spraying crumbs all over the younger boy.

"The prisoner, Bella told me to take her some bread to try and get her to speak," Draco said reluctantly.

"Oh, the Mudblood?" Wormtail asked. Draco nodded. "What about the Pumpkin juice?"

"That's mine, now get out of my way before I get my father to curse you again, and maybe this time you won't be walking the same again." Draco snarled, pushing the man out of the way. He unlocked the gate, and scrambled down the stairs.

Hermione hadn't moved from her previous position, and began to count the droplets dropping from the ceiling again. She'd reached one hundred before her eyes had fluttered shut due to the lack of energy.

The door to the dungeon was flung open, and Hermione's ears pricked up as she felt the all too familiar presence in the room. As the footsteps got louder, she turned to spot the blond boy locking the door and making his way inside.

"M-Malfoy," she spluttered, somewhat pleased that she was no longer alone.

"Draco…" he corrected finally. Hermione's lip twitched slightly as Draco made his way towards her, handing her a filed goblet of pumpkin juice, and a bread roll. She took them both gratefully, taking a deep breath as she took in the aroma of the bread, before taking a delicate bite.

Draco couldn't help but allow the corners of his mouth to twitch as she hungrily consumed the rest of the roll. He would have brought more for her, but Wormtail was clearly starting to have suspicions about the length of time he spent with Hermione, and took it within his liberty to assist him to the stairs.

Peeping up towards the taller boy, Hermione spotted that Draco was deep in thought. When he spotted her staring, he smiled a smile which she was reluctant to return. "Take this," he said, handing Hermione a bottle which was all too familiar to her. She took the Dittany from Draco, and rubbed it on her arm almost instantly, sighing in relief at the cool temperature.

And when Draco fumbled inside his jacket pocket once more, and pulled out Hermione's wand, he rolled it across the stone floor towards her. She smiled the first ever sincere smile she'd smiled for as long as she can remember. It was a smile of hope. Maybe Draco has changed. Maybe Draco could keep his promise.


End file.
